Real Food Face-off and Authentic Homemade

I am happy to announce that my new blog (all real food all the time) Authentic Homemade is officially open! Be sure to check it out and put it up on your feed readers so you don't miss any real food posts. Some great real food writing is from Katie over at Kitchen Stewardship- where I am honored to be featured today as part of her Real Food Blogger Face-off. with Mama Says.

I am especially glad Katie posted the question on a $20 week food budget- the difficulties of buying real food frugally is a topic close to my heart, and one that will be a main focus of Authentic Homemade. I have been inspired in part by Pennywise Platter Thursdays at Nourishing Gourmet- always filled with great frugal food tips and recipes. (Check out her new carnival on spring cleaning the kitchen- my posts on this will stay here at Make A Home since it's more housekeeping than food related to me.)

Some questions for my Face-off I wanted to share:

• What is the worst food (or “food”) a person could possibly put into their systems? HFCS- High fructose corn syrup. Or maybe anything in the snack/soda section at your local mega-mart!
• What’s the most creative thing you do to make life easier in the kitchen? I soak, and prep lots of things at once. It makes my kitchen look crazy-disastrous but only once every two weeks or so. All my grains and beans get soaked or sprouted, and I usually have sourdough and something fermented going too. (note: coming soon- check out Authentic Homemade for more tips and schedules for OAMC real-food style.)
• 
  When eating out, how do make your menu decision (fav “out” food, anything you avoid)? Sustainable seafood, these are often listed on the menu if it’s wild (especially with salmon and shrimp), good meats (venison is becoming popular here.) If I can’t find those, I will usually get a soup and salad, many of even the cheapest restaurants will make their own stocks.

I hope you enjoyed the Real-food Face-off, I know I did. Thanks to Katie for another task well taken care of! Check out today's post at Authentic Homemade on prepping for OAMC real-food style!

Real Food at the grocery store

Hot dogs? Yes, that's right hot dogs- real food style! Another example of real food at the grocery store, I found some goodness at my local Shoprite- a regional store in the northeast. From Applegate Farms, a big name in organic and natural meat, comes Grass Fed Beef hot dogs- no nitrates added. And they are yummy!
I love this company anyway, they have great meat and cheese products, and they have even started a "trace your food to its source" program- which is great for the know-your-food movement.

I am happy to share this post at Real Food Wednesdays.
Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Real Food Blogger faceoff.
Also, coming tomorrow, my new Real Food site: Authentic Homemade.

Valentine's Day is almost here! Try something new- real food sweets that are still really good!

Homemade Candy- truffles and old-fashioned sponge candy

Other easy ideas- chocolate covered crispy nuts, dried fruits, or a mix of the two to make chocolate bark.

Fudge- recipe from Passionate Homemaking
Coconut Oil Bark- "Almond Joy" or Peppermint - recipe from Gnowfglins

A few reminders:
Want more chocolate? My February e-cookbook is coming in a few days!
Wardeh's Gnowfglins e-course has less than 2 weeks left for the enrollment period. Don't miss out! Make sure you check out her information on if you have dietary restrictions! *I am an affiliate for the e-course*
 Authentic Homemade- my new blog: all real food, all the time is coming soon!

I am happy to share this post at Real Food Wednesday.

This week in real food and giveaways!

First, this is the last day for my giveaway for a six month subscription to "Real Food" Meal Planners, including exclusive recipes and the e-cookbooks. Enter now!

This week I wrote about another sign of real food (kind of!) entering the mainstream- a major national supermarket introduces a private label of grass-fed milk. Still homogenized and pasteurized, but it's a step forward. There is also a note here to keep your eyes on the proposed food safety acts- don't let them slip through into policy!

There's been a lot of information on Monsanto lately, join me next week for a post on exactly what you need to know about this giant in Big Ag, and about GMOs in general.

Finally, another giveaway- Coconut Oil!

I am happy to share this at Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade.

Real Food (kind of) goes mainstream

On the heels of my post last week on local food featured on the show Iron Chef America, I discovered an example this week of the mainstreaming of real food. Or kind of real food, anyway. Weis markets, a regional supermarket now offers a store-brand grass-fed milk. Now, of course it's not real real food, since it's homogenized and pasteurized, but still. I think it's a good omen for the future, and yet another sign that the mass market is beginning to take note that consumers are more aware of what good food is, and more vocal in getting the message that they want it.

If you like real, local food, remember to take action. Join your local groups on real food, raw milk, sustainable or local products. Make your voice heard. One idea to focus on is the "Food Safety Modernization Act" and the similar "Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009" which was well summarized as to the disgraceful nature of the bill by Jenny at Nourished Kitchen. Keep in mind that these bills can take very little or very much time to pass the House and Senate, and they are often absorbed into other, new bills with no notice- unless you read up on the new bills. Keep your eyes and ears open- and your mouth too- tell people who will also be concerned with the growing threat of Big Ag support!
I am happy to share this at Real Food Wednesdays- check out all the great posts there.

SOLE and Traditional foods

SOLE food- Sustainable Organic Local Ethical
I want my food to be as close as possible to the source. I want my food to look how it did originally. Also important:
Traditional Food- food the way it used to be
"If your grandmother wouldn't recognize it- don't eat it!"
Butter, lard, bacon fat, yum yum!
Stay away from refined sugar/ starches, and get rid of the fake oils and such. Eat

REAL FOOD!

The joy of factory farming...



(do not read this if you have a weak stomach)

"Each bird begins life with a "yolk stock" — a predetermined number of eggs. When the eggs are gone, the hens have nothing else to lay. Each hen tops out at about 4 pounds. By about 70 weeks, their production begins declining and the hens are killed and sent to a rendering facility. They become food for dogs. Read more... "

70 weeks?! That's one year, and four and a half months! They aren't even a year and a half old! I grew up with chickens, my parents had them since I was a baby. Many of our hens lived to be ten years old, laying eggs (though not usually more than a few a week) nearly up until the end. Further, they often layed more than 5 a week when they were young- sometimes even one every day! Maybe for better production egg farmers should consider actual humane treatment instead of whatever this is. I have not been so disgusted since I read about the treatment of factory-farmed pigs. Off to find more local egg farms RIGHT NOW!



Thanks to Local Nourishment for her link to this article on her post about why cage-free doesn't mean outside-going- check it out.